Urban League Hires General Contractors For The Northwest African American Museum And Urban League Village.

The Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle (ULMS) today announced the selection of RAFN and Leajak Construction as the two general contractors that will be responsible for building the Northwest African America Museum (NAAM) and Urban League Village. RAFN has a rich history in the development of housing and museum projects and will be the lead contractor. Leajak also has a rich history and will be the lead on the museum. “We couldn’t have asked for better general contractors to be part of the development team which includes Carver Gayton as Director of NAAM,” said James Kelly, President of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle. The Northwest African American Museum will anchor the Urban League Village at Colman School, a $17.1 million project on the Interstate 90 lid between the Central District and Rainier Valley. The ground floor will be the 22,000 square foot museum, with 36 mixed-income apartments on the top two floors. Tom Ambrey, President, RAFN stated, “Over the 27 years of our construction history contributing to the rich and diverse tapestry of Seattle, I can’t think of a project that will be as significant to the Central District neighborhood or the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle.” “It’s an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to be involved in a project that will have a positive impact on the African American community, actually it will have a positive impact on the entire Seattle metropolitan area,” said Fred Anderson, President and Owner of Leajak Construction, Inc. “The board of directors is deeply humbled by the high level of expertise that we have assembled to build the museum and Urban League Village and we are very proud of the rich diversity of the development team and their commitment to providing everyone a meaningful opportunity to participate in building the region’s new cultural treasure,” said Paul Chiles, board chair, Urban League and Metropolitan Seattle. “We have involvement ranging from an African American general contractor and architects to a Latino/Hispanic developer.” Construction is planned to begin in January 2006, with the museum and housing units opening in early 2007. #